Crower 6 Stroke engine

[SnoopJonnyJon]

http://thekneeslider.com/archives/2006/02/24/crower-six-stroke-engine/
This doesn't actually give a very clear explanation, but I think I know how it works. It has the normal 4 strokes, and when the piston reaches TDC on the exhaust stroke, water is injected into the cylinder which turns to steam from the piston/combustion chamber being hot from the gasoline combustion that just occurred, which will cause a rapid increase in pressure and produces another power stroke. The "steam exhaust" would then be expelled out the exhaust pipe and the 4 standard strokes would repeat with the 2 steam strokes added. The camshaft would have to run at 1/3 speed in an engine such as this instead of the standard 1/2 crank speed. The engine is supposed to have far superior thermal efficiency since the heat energy that is normally wasted by radiator cooling is instead converted to crankshaft power. Also, since the engine only requires fuel on 1 of 6 strokes instead of 1 of 4 strokes, the engine will require less fuel for a given rpm. Another side benefit is that the engine requires no cooling system whatsoever, saving weight. The cooling effect of producing steam also in turn allows a much higher compression ratio without detonation. Apparently a 14:1 engine can run at redline for an hour and you can put your hand on the engine without burning yourself. I wish I had more information on it, but this article is all I have been able to find. It sounds very promising to me

[Raylar]

We had a chance to sit down a few months back and visit way to short a time with Bruce Crower and we also got wondeful insight into this unique invention of Bruce's. When I tell you that Bruce Crower is one of the most brilliant, inventive, imaginative, knowlegeable, creative thinker in engine and mechanics ,the science of, I am probably understating his expertise. I hope in my entire lifetime as an engine specialist I learn and remain proficient at maybe 10% of what Bruce has in his mind, then I will consider myself somewhat knowledgeable. This man joins a select few brilliant innovaters in our industries whose talents are really under appreciated and in most cases little known. I just wish individuals like he and others like Harvey Crane and the list goes on would not only teach classes in there fields of expertise, but they would also write down some of their knowledge and "outside the box thinking" so that young people in our industries could be tutored and educated with the wealth of knowledge that what I call "Industry Giants" like Bruce Crower could leave as a great legacy for those who try and fill their shoes. These are the great thinkers and doers who have made some of the real technological leaps that the USA has always had up its sleeve when its come to performance and engine efficiency. I know I cannot list all the greats here, but a few more come to mind, Smokey Yunick, Zora Duntov and Carl Kiekafer. As I said the list goes on! God Bless these guys, glad there on our side!!
Ray @ Raylar

[Beer-30]

...John Lingenfelter, Reeves Callaway - to name a few more.

[SnoopJonnyJon]

We had a chance to sit down a few months back and visit way to short a time with Bruce Crower and we also got wondeful insight into this unique invention of Bruce's. When I tell you that Bruce Crower is one of the most brilliant, inventive, imaginative, knowlegeable, creative thinker in engine and mechanics ,the science of, I am probably understating his expertise. I hope in my entire lifetime as an engine specialist I learn and remain proficient at maybe 10% of what Bruce has in his mind, then I will consider myself somewhat knowledgeable. This man joins a select few brilliant innovaters in our industries whose talents are really under appreciated and in most cases little known. I just wish individuals like he and others like Harvey Crane and the list goes on would not only teach classes in there fields of expertise, but they would also write down some of their knowledge and "outside the box thinking" so that young people in our industries could be tutored and educated with the wealth of knowledge that what I call "Industry Giants" like Bruce Crower could leave as a great legacy for those who try and fill their shoes. These are the great thinkers and doers who have made some of the real technological leaps that the USA has always had up its sleeve when its come to performance and engine efficiency. I know I cannot list all the greats here, but a few more come to mind, Smokey Yunick, Zora Duntov and Carl Kiekafer. As I said the list goes on! God Bless these guys, glad there on our side!!
Ray @ Raylar
I agree. I am about to finish my Mechanical Engineering degree next month and I am not terribly impressed with all of the instruction I recieved. Far too many of my professors were completely incompetent at anything other than total academia. For my senior design project I design and built a tooless chain tensioning system for a chainsaw. My faculty advisor is a Phd in machine design. Not sure what country he's from, but it isn't european... well, anyways, his initial suggestion for solving the problem was "Why don't you just weld the chain to the bar?" We later had a long argument about whether a 1/2' bolt could be torqued to 30ftlbs without a wrench... He claimed that 30ftlbs is just finger tight. That will give you some idea about the competency of the man.

[lucky]

I agree. I am about to finish my Mechanical Engineering degree next month and I am not terribly impressed with all of the instruction I recieved. Far too many of my professors were completely incompetent at anything other than total academia. For my senior design project I design and built a tooless chain tensioning system for a chainsaw. My faculty advisor is a Phd in machine design. Not sure what country he's from, but it isn't european... well, anyways, his initial suggestion for solving the problem was "Why don't you just weld the chain to the bar?" We later had a long argument about whether a 1/2' bolt could be torqued to 30ftlbs without a wrench... He claimed that 30ftlbs is just finger tight. That will give you some idea about the competency of the man.
ask his wife what 6" is -- I bet , Just bet - she show's ya 3.5 "

[Raylar]

Practical, applicable knowledge, intuitive and explainable intellect. That is what the names mentioned here really are gifted with. Its the gift that allows great thinkers to go "outside the box" and come up with some of the brilliant things they develop and apply them to everyday needs. You could be right, a PHD does not a "wise man" make. I always seem to learn and benefit more from those who have that hands on, actual working expierence that teaches and explains so much easier. We need more minds like these in our institues of higher learning!
Ray @ Raylar

[Beer-30]

Practical, applicable knowledge, intuitive and explainable intellect. That is what the names mentioned here really are gifted with. Its the gift that allows great thinkers to go "outside the box" and come up with some of the brilliant things they develop and apply them to everyday needs. You could be right, a PHD does not a "wise man" make. I always seem to learn and benefit more from those who have that hands on, actual working expierence that teaches and explains so much easier. We need more minds like these in our institues of higher learning!
Ray @ Raylar
Can I get an AMEN?

[Wicked Performance Boats]

Maybe why they say " There is no such thing as a practical engineer" Hands on are what make it work.

[centerhill condor]

you're asking these guys to perform outside of their field of expertise.... I wouldn't expect a Phd in engineering to know what is and is not finger tight anymore than I would expect most of these guys to understand how finite element analysis or boundary flow theory works... 200 years ago one man could know everything about everything... now, one man can't know everything about any one subject.
also, when you graduate... you will have an education that is at least 20 years obsolete...and the more you learn the more amazed you will be that the lights come on when you flip the switch!
great post!

[SnoopJonnyJon]

This was supposedly his field of expertise. This is the ONLY class he teaches (machine design) at the university. I just found it troubling that the man teaching about pre-loading bolts has no physical understanding of what any of the numbers represent.

[Red Horse]

Pratical application of knowledge is what is needed for some of these "educated" guys.
I deal with this quite a bit. I am in the military in a Civil Engineering unit. I can and have built alot of things in some really less than nice places with less than perfect tools and equipment. Some of these new young LTs right out of school sometimes do not understand how to do things. They just know mathmaticaly how, not physically. I had a young Electical Engineer LT ask me, Sgt, what can I do to be a better LT. I said, design it, engineer it, then get out there with the guys and build it. He did. We were pulling 1/0 cables from transformer to building and he specified elbows!! That cable does not do a 90 very well at all. He was cussing and bitching, all hot and dirty. Nothing but sweeps in his designs now. He actually knows some thing practical.
Those are the ones we need to hire to teach.
I am sure not all are like this, but some are. :cool:

[SnoopJonnyJon]

Well, I just got hired on as a design engineer for Case New Holland (farm equipment). I start May 1. I'll be working on seeding equipment, sprayers and combine headers. Hopefully they don't find me to be a complete dufus, but I figure working there should be a good fit for a farm boy, but I am sure there will be a steep learning curve for the first while.

[bumpstik]

HARVEY CRANE does in fact teach a class on camshaft design. go to his website@ www.harveycrane.com. lots of good cam info on the site

[steelcomp]

Any one of you guys ever heard of a guy named Larry Widmer?
How about Carrol Smith?
Roman Slobadynskj?
These guys should be at the tops of your lists.

[steelcomp]

Well, I just got hired on as a design engineer for Case New Holland (farm equipment). I start May 1. I'll be working on seeding equipment, sprayers and combine headers. Hopefully they don't find me to be a complete dufus, but I figure working there should be a good fit for a farm boy, but I am sure there will be a steep learning curve for the first while.Two years in the field ought to be a pre req. for any prospctive engineer or architect. Wrenches in hand, bloody knuckles, a few good splinters. No text book...just figure it out.

[Raylar]

Can we get another Amen! How about Jim Hall, Fred Meyer,and such. Real Power comes from knowledge and all the names listed here on this thread had it! :cool:
Ray @ Raylar

[SnoopJonnyJon]

Two years in the field ought to be a pre req. for any prospctive engineer or architect. Wrenches in hand, bloody knuckles, a few good splinters. No text book...just figure it out.
Well that's good because I'm going on 24. Hard to avoid that kinda thing farming.

[SmokinLowriderSS]

Congrats on the job Snoop. :)
Follow the advice like on here to actually keep learning what you are doing after your degree says you know it all, and you will make a fine engineer one day. Wish I could teach some of the ones designing the planes I build, Sheeesh! :cool:

[SnoopJonnyJon]

What kind of planes do you build? I've got a bit of an interest in planes, but really haven't been able to pursue it as much as I would like to. In high school I hauled water for a crop duster, and he took me up with him once, it was a real thrill. A close neighbor of ours on the farm restored a Hawker Hurricane that summer, which I was fortunate enough to watch on its maiden flight. Unfortunately he ran off the end of the runway and flipped it up on the nose. Wrecked the prop, but after checking the rest of the plane out, was deemed airworthy and has flown since. http://www.warbirdregistry.org/hurriregistry/hurricane-rcaf5447.html
I have another close neighbor who has been building homebuilt experimentals since he was in high school. He had a Pitts Biplane and is currently building a Lancair.
I would really like to get into the aircraft hobby... particularly with experimentals, but its an expensive hobby. In the mean time I've been building R/C models (which is expensive enough for a student). In the last three years I've built a Sig Kadet trainer (72 inch wingspan, .46 cu in engine), a Cessna 150 (24 inch wingspan, .049 cu in engine), and am currently building an Ultimate Biplane (50 inch wingspan, .82 cu in 4-stroke engine).

[BeastOfTheEast]

Crower is definitely a leader in the industry for years.